1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a wall mounted, plastic heat pump housing for use in small rooms or suites.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
As hotels and studio apartments have proliferated, there has been a need felt by the HVAC community for a small heating and cooling unit which can handle small volumes of air independently of similarly situated rooms, suites or apartments. Some solutions were seen in window mounted air conditioners, but these failed to provide means to heat the space. Electric space heaters provided another half solution.
Another concern in the creation of a solution to the problem is the availability of space. In a studio apartment, space is typically a premium, as in a hotel suite or room. Therefore, any solution must also be space efficient and include both heating and cooling modes.
While conventional heat pumps allow the heating and cooling functions desired, most are bulky, weighty or otherwise undesirable. Most conventional heat pumps typically require extensive installation, and two or more installers. Additionally, most heat pumps are housed in a fabricated metal housing which may have sharp edges and require additional insulation to function properly.
With the above concerns in mind, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a wall mounted heat pump which is space efficient.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a heat pump with a plastic structural foam housing to eliminate the need for extra insulation and to reduce weight.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a heat pump which is well suited for one ton or less of atmospheric conditioning.
It is another objective to provide a method of installing a heat pump by an individual in a simple, time effective manner.
It is still another objective to provide a heat pump which is easily adaptable to a number of different installation configurations.
These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing figures.